Box folding apparatus

ABSTRACT

A box folding apparatus operable to close the top of a box having four flaps is provided. The boxing folding apparatus includes a worktable, a feeding assembly for transporting the box from an upstream position of the worktable to a downstream position of the worktable. A first folding assembly includes a rotatable folding arm, a second folding assembly includes a stationary resisting bar inclined toward the feeding assembly in the direction in which the box is transported, and a third folding assembly includes a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface intersecting with the first inclined surface. The first and second inclined surfaces extend toward and gradually close to the feeding assembly in the direction in which the box is transported.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to a box folding apparatus.

2. Description of Related Art

The packaging industry relies upon efficient packing, folding andsealing of corrugated boxes, commonly referred to as cartons or cases.During the process of packaging a product, the product is first placedin a box, and then the flaps of the box are folded and sealed to coverthe opening thereof. Generally, the flaps are folded and sealedmanually, thereby more manpower is required and the packaging efficiencyis relatively low.

Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, theemphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principlesof the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like referencenumerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a first embodiment of a box foldingapparatus.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1, but viewed from another aspect.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a fixing bracket, a first foldingassembly, and a second assembly of the box folding apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a third assembly and a sealing assemblyof the box folding apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the box folding apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a box to be folded by the box foldingapparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a plane view of a second embodiment of a box foldingapparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of a box folding apparatus 100configured to close and seal the top of a box to be folded, such as thebox shown in FIG. 6, is shown. The box folding apparatus 100 includes aworktable 10 having a support surface 11, a feeding assembly 20, afixing bracket 30, a first folding assembly 40, a second foldingassembly 50, a third folding assembly 60, a sealing assembly 70, and aguiding member 80. The feeding assembly 20 is adapted to transport aplurality of boxes or cases to be folded from an upstream position ofthe worktable 10 to a downstream position of the worktable 10. In oneembodiment, the feeding assembly 20 employs a belt transport mechanismto convey the boxes. The first, second, and third folding assemblies 40,50, and 60 are arranged on the support surface 11 in an order at apredetermined interval. The sealing assembly 70 is mounted on thedownstream position of the worktable 10 for sealing the folded boxes.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the fixing bracket 30 is fixed on theworktable 10 to support the first and second folding assemblies 40 and50.

The first folding assembly 40 includes an actuator 41 and a rotatablefolding arm 43. The folding arm 43 is capable of rotating about an axisY, as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 3, and is driven by the actuator 41. Thefolding arm 43 includes a resisting portion 431, which is adapted tofold a flap of a box 200. The actuator 41 can be a motor or a rotationcylinder. In one embodiment, the folding arm 43 is substantially“L”-shaped, and the resisting portion 431 is substantially arcuate, andis located on the turning point of the folding arm 43, thus preventingthe box 200 from being damaged as the box 200 is folded by the resistingportion 431.

The second folding assembly 50 includes a stationary resisting bar 51and a connecting bar 52 connecting the resisting bar 51 and the fixingbracket 30. The resisting bar 51 is inclined toward the feeding assembly20 in the direction indicated as direction X in FIGS. 2 and 5, in whichthe boxes 200 are transported. In an alternative embodiment, thestationary resisting bar 51 of the second folding assembly 50 can be awedge-shaped block having an inclined resisting surface to fold the box200.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the third folding assembly 60 includes afirst wedge-shaped block 61, a second wedge-shaped block 63, and aconnection member 65. The connection portion 65 is a plate extending inthe direction X and substantially perpendicular to the support surface11 of the worktable 10. The first and second wedge-shaped blocks 61 and63 are fixed on the connection member 65.

The first wedge-shaped block 61 includes a first inclined surface 611toward the feeding assembly 20 in the direction X, and a first datumplane 613 extending in the direction X and connected to the firstinclined surface 611. The second wedge-shaped block 63 includes a secondinclined surface 631 toward the feeding assembly 20 in the direction X,and a second datum plane 633 extending in the direction X and connectedto the second inclined surface 631. The first and second inclinedsurfaces 611 and 631 are gradually inclined toward the feeding assembly20 in the direction X, and are intersected and cooperatively define agroove 601 having an opening toward the feeding assembly 20. The firstand second datum surfaces 613 and 631 are coplanar.

The connection member 65 defines a cutout 651 extending in the directionX to receive a part of the second folding assembly 50, thus shorteningthe overall length of the second and third folding assemblies 50 and 60,thereby the box folding apparatus 100 can achieve a more compact size.

As indicated in FIG. 4, the inclined angles of the first and secondinclined surfaces 611 and 631 with respect to the connection member 65are supplementary angles of an angle A. The inclined angle between thefirst and second inclined surfaces 611 and 631 is indicated as an angleB.

The angle A is in a range from about 110° to about 130°. In other words,the inclined angles of the first and second inclined surfaces 611 and631 with respect to the connection member 65 are in a range from about50° to about 70°. The angle B is in a range from about 40° to about 80°.In one embodiment, the angle A is about 120°, and the angle B is about60°.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the sealing assembly 70 includes a supportmember 71, a cutter 72 mounted on the support member 71, an adhesiveroll 73 rotatable relative to the support member 71, a first roller 74,a second roller 75, and an adhesive tape 731 applied around the adhesiveroll 73. The free end of the adhesive tape 731 is connected to the firstroller 74; thus, the first roller 74 can draw the adhesive tape 731 whenit rotates. The cutter 72 makes contact to the adhesive tape 731 forcutting the adhesive tape 731.

Referring to FIG. 1 again, the guiding member 80 is a substantially “L”shaped elongated plate and extends along the direction X. The guidingmember 80 includes a connecting plate 81 and a guiding plate 83. Theconnecting plate 81 defines a plurality of kidney holes 811, and theconnecting plate 81 is fixed to the worktable 10 with a plurality ofscrews (not labeled) received in the kidney holes 811, respectively. Theposition of the guiding member 80 can be horizontally adjusted toaccommodate the dimensions of each box by adjusting the position of thescrew received in the kidney hole 811. In one embodiment, the guidingplate 83 is substantially perpendicular to the support surface 11.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the principles associatedwith the foregoing apparatus, its operation will be briefly described.Boxes of various heights and widths, such as the box 200 shown in FIG.6, are placed in a row on top of the feeding assembly 20. The box 200includes a main body 201 which defines an opening, and includes a firstflap 202, a second flap 203 adjacent to the first flap 202, a third flap204 opposite to the first flap 202, and a fourth flap 205 opposite tothe second flap 203 extending from the four edges of the opening,respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, the feeding assembly 20 moves the box 200downstream. Before the box 200 passes the first folding assembly 40, theactuator 41 rotates the folding arm 43 to a first predetermined positionaway from the feeding assembly 20, thus allowing the third flap 204 topass without contacting the folding arm 43. As the box 200 is furthermoved downstream, the third flap 204 contacts the resisting bar 51, andis folded inwardly by the resisting bar 51 of the second foldingassembly 50. After the box 200 passes the first folding assembly 40, theactuator 41 rotates the folding arm 43 toward the feeding assembly 20 toa second predetermined position. As the folding arm 43 rotates to thesecond predetermined position, the resisting portion 431 contacts andinwardly folds the first flap 202.

Referring to FIG. 4, as the box 200 is moved further downstream, thesecond flap 203 and the fourth flap 205 are gradually moved into thegroove 601 of the second folding assembly 60, and contact the first andinclined surfaces 611 and 631, respectively. The second and fourth flaps203 and 205 are gradually folded inward. When the second and fourthflaps 203 and 205 are moved to a position which contacts the first andsecond datum planes 613 and 633, the box 200 is folded.

The feeding assembly 20 then moves the folded box 200 further downstreamto the sealing assembly 70 where the box 200 is sealed. The adhesivetape 731 wound around the first roller 74 is adhered to an end of thesecond and fourth flaps 203 and 205. When the first flap 202 passes thecutter 72, the cutter 72 cuts the adhesive tape 731. When the box 200contacts the second roller 75, the second roller 75 rolls on theadhesive tape 731, so that the adhesive tape 731 is steadily adhered tothe box 200.

From the foregoing, it can be realized that the box folding apparatus100 can properly fold the first, second, third, and fourth flaps 202,203, 204, and 205 using the first, second, and third folding assemblies40, 50, and 60. Then the folded box 200 is further sealed using thesealing assembly 70, thus improving the packaging efficiency of the box200. In addition, the folding process of the box 200 only requiresmanpower to place the boxes 200 on the feeding assembly 20, thus lessmanpower is required.

Referring to FIG. 7, a second embodiment of the box folding apparatus300 is shown. The box folding apparatus 300 differs from the box foldingapparatus 100 only in that the first folding assembly 301 and the secondfolding assembly 302 utilize a plurality of propellers driven by aplurality of cylinders to fold the flaps of the box 200. The feedingassembly 303 includes a motor 3031, a screw bar 3032 driven by the motor3031, and a support member 3033 screwed onto the screw bar 3032. The box200 to be folded can be placed on the support member 3033 and moveddownstream as the motor 3031 rotates the screw bar 3032.

It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will beunderstood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent thatvarious changes may be made thereto without departing from the spiritand scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its materialadvantages.

What is claimed is:
 1. A box folding apparatus configured to close thetop of a box having a plurality of flaps to be folded, the boxingfolding apparatus comprising: a worktable; a feeding assembly fortransporting the box from an upstream position of the worktable to adownstream position of the worktable; a first folding assemblycomprising a rotatable folding arm; a second folding assembly comprisinga stationary resisting bar inclined toward the feeding assembly in thedirection in which the box is transported; and a third folding assemblycomprising a first wedge-shaped block positioned on the worktable and asecond wedge-shaped block positioned on the first wedge-shaped blockaway from the worktable, wherein the first wedge-shaped block comprisesa first inclined surface, the second wedge-shaped block comprises asecond inclined surface intersecting with the first inclined surface,the first and second inclined surfaces extend toward and gradually closeto the feeding assembly in the direction in which the box istransported.
 2. The box folding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstfolding assembly further comprises an actuator to rotate the rotatablefolding arm from a first predetermined position to a secondpredetermined position.
 3. The box folding apparatus of claim 2, whereinthe actuator is a motor or a rotation cylinder.
 4. The box foldingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the folding arm is substantially “L”shaped and comprises a resisting portion which is substantially arcuate,and is located on a turning point of the folding arm.
 5. The box foldingapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sealing assembly mounted on adownstream position of the worktable for sealing the folded box.
 6. Thebox folding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the sealing assembly comprisesa support member mounted on the worktable, an adhesive tape, an adhesiveroll rotatable relative to the support member for carrying the adhesivetape, a first roller for connecting an end of the adhesive tape, and acutter mounted on the support member for cutting off the adhesive tape.7. The box folding apparatus of claim 6, the sealing assembly furthercomprises a second roller mounted on the support member for contactingthe adhesive tape.
 8. The box folding apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a guiding member for guiding the transport of the box.
 9. Thebox folding apparatus of claim 8, wherein the guiding member comprises aconnecting plate defining a plurality of kidney holes, a guiding platecontacting the box, and a plurality of screws received in the kidneyholes respectively to connect the guiding member to the worktable,wherein the position of the guiding member is capable of being adjustedby adjusting the position of the screws received in the kidney holes.10. The box folding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stationaryresisting bar is a wedge-shaped block having an inclined resistingsurface for folding the box.
 11. The box folding apparatus of claim 1,wherein the third folding assembly further comprises a connection memberon which the first and second wedge-shaped blocks are fixed, theconnection member extending in the direction in which the box istransported.
 12. The box folding apparatus of claim 11, wherein theconnection member defines a cutout extending in the direction in whichthe box is transported to receive a part of the second folding assembly.13. The box folding apparatus of claim 11, wherein the third foldingassembly comprises a first datum plane extending in the direction inwhich the box is transported and a second datum plane extending in thedirection in which the box is transported, the first and second datumplanes are coplanar and are connected to the first and second inclinedsurfaces, respectively.
 14. The box folding apparatus of claim 11,wherein the inclined angles of the first and second inclined surfaceswith respect to the connection member are both in a range from 50degrees to 70 degrees, and the inclined angle between the first andsecond inclined surfaces is in a range from 40 degrees to 80 degrees.15. The box folding apparatus of claim 14, wherein the inclined anglesof the first and second inclined surfaces with respect to the connectionmember are both about 60 degrees, and the inclined angle between thefirst and second inclined surfaces is about 60 degrees.
 16. A boxfolding apparatus operable to close the top of a box, the box comprisinga first flap, a second flap adjacent to the first flap, a third flapopposite to the first flap, and a fourth flap opposite to the secondflap, the boxing folding apparatus comprising: a worktable; a feedingassembly for transporting the box from an upstream position of theworktable to a downstream position of the worktable; a first foldingassembly comprising a rotatable folding arm, the rotatable folding armbeing capable of rotating from a first predetermined position withoutcontacting the box to a second predetermined position to fold the firstflap; a second folding assembly comprising a stationary resisting barinclined toward the feeding assembly in the direction in which the boxis transported to fold the third flap; a third folding assemblycomprising a first wedge-shaped block positioned on the worktable and asecond wedge-shaped block positioned on the first wedge-shaped blockaway from the worktable, wherein the first wedge-shaped block comprisesa first inclined surface and the second wedge-shaped block comprises asecond inclined surface intersecting with the first inclined surface,the first and second inclined surfaces extending toward and graduallyclosing to the feeding assembly in the direction in which the box istransported to fold the second and fourth flaps, respectively; and asealing assembly to seal the box.
 17. The box folding apparatus of claim16, wherein the sealing assembly comprises a support member mounted onthe worktable, an adhesive tape, an adhesive roll rotatable relative tothe support member for carrying the adhesive tape, a first roller forconnecting an end of the adhesive tape, a cutter mounted on the supportmember for cutting off the adhesive tape, and a second roller mounted onthe support member for contacting the adhesive tape.
 18. The box foldingapparatus of claim 16, wherein the third folding assembly furthercomprises a connection member on which the first and second wedge-shapedblocks are fixed, the connection member extending in the direction inwhich the box is transported, a first datum plane extending in thedirection in which the box is transported, and a second datum planeextending in the direction in which the box is transported, the firstand second datum planes are coplanar and are connected to the first andsecond inclined surfaces, respectively.